China Finishes FAST, World’s Largest Radio Telescope

The largest radio telescope in the world opened in China. FAST is not just how quickly you’re going– it’s a radio telescope located in China.

Beijing shelled out a pretty penny to build this telescope — $180 million. Or roughly the same amount as many American college student’s level of debt. The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope is 195 meters wider than the second largest telescope in Puerto Rico. Take that, Arecibo Observatory!

FAST will be used to look for aliens, radio signals, and pulsars. It’s also aimed to be used to discover how the universe formed. So you know… no pressure. The telescope has already received signals from 1,351 light years away. That or the officials are faking it to look good. Either way, we’ll know the results in about five years.

Chinese scientists were excited to have their own expensive piece of equipment in their home country. Yeah, commuting to different countries on 16-hour flights must have been rough. But hey, it’s nothing compared to how far those radio waves are traveling– or how far the aliens will travel once they figure out they have an audience.